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Oil Bath Hubs FAQ

ColorIt is recommended that you change the oil in the GOLD system after 20,000 miles or every 2 years unless oil becomes a milky color. If no leak is observed, then replace oil in system.

Fill LevelCheck the oil level in the hub through the inspection window in the front of the protector. The window should indicate that the hub is completely full of oil with no more than a dime-sized air bubble. If the oil level is low, determine source of leak and repair.Note: If Necessary, Gold oil filled hubs can run with as little as Ã‚Â¼ the normal oil level and still provide adequate lubrication to the bearings. However, partially filled hubs may suck in water if submerged.

LeakageA very slight amount of oil seepage at the rear seal is normal and necessary to lubricate the wiper lip of the seal for long life and sealing contaminants out. Excessive oil leakage, more than a few drops, will require the hub to be removed and the oil seal to be replaced.

REPLACING SEALS

The hub or rotor must be removed from the axle and the seal forced out. It is impossible to remove the seal without damaging it. Therefore, when you remove the seal, plan on replacing it. Because seals are a high quality design not widely available, you will need to obtain a replacement from the dealer, a bearing supply company, the trailer manufacturer or Unique Functional Products. Seals installed at the factory may have a hypalon (blue teflon-like) coating on the outside diameter. If your replacement seals do not have a hypalon coating then apply a thin film of Permatex #81160 (Red) High-Temp RTV Silicone Gasket Maker on the seal outside diameter, and hub bore in order to seal it prior to installation. Flat Rate for seal replacement is .7 hrs per brake hub and .5 hrs per non-brake hub at posted Dealer shop labor rate.

The site glass you see , is a piston, sealed with 2 orings inside. The brake hub/rotor runs about 180 degrees under normal running and braking. If the hub gets hotter than this, the oil inside expands and the piston will protrude until the hub cools down, then it should go back down. When the hub gets to 250 degrees, the 2 orings will flatten out and cause the oil to bleed by the orings and leak out on the outside of the wheels. If this is the case, you need to install new protectors. If the hub gets to 300 degrees,the lips on the oil seal in the back of the hub will deform and oil will leak out behind the wheel. The discolored oil in the site glass tells me the hub may have lost some oil and when the warm hub is put into the cool water, it creates a vacum and sucks water into the hub, causing the discolored oil. Always let your hubs cool down before you launch....if you cannot put your hand on the hub, dont launch unitl its cooled down..Steve, you may want to post this as I see this all the time,

Am making a long haul all the way up to Lake St Clare, Michigan and back this June. Took my rig into my dealer for annual maintenance and asked them to service the trailer also. Asked the service manager about the oil-bath hubs and he said they are maintenance free and do not need servicing (2011 Triton Master Marine trailer). Are these posts from 2004 just outdated and do not apply to the latest model oil-bath hubs?

I really miss having oil hubs...Mine leaked like the exxon valdize into the water and I felt so bad that I had to stop fishing until I had then transferred over to grease...EZ trailer had sent me all kinds of replacement (I had to pay for them) but never attempted to switch back.

How do I know the Cool Hub on my '04 Ranger trailer is full with new hub oil? Just drained old and put in new. When I look at the front of the cool hub, the oil is about 3/4 the way up the sight glass. Does that mean its 3/4 full or is it full? Took quite awhile to fill. Could not put anymore in, even after waiting several minutes, several times. Checked later and both sides are almost full by viewing the sight glass, so left it at that.

I didn't see anything above that addressed the SS wear rings that are on the UFP spindles where the inner seal rides. This must be addressed when replacing the seals or you will continue to have problems.

Wear ring with 2 grooves from the double lip seal:

Here is one that I removed:

Here is a new one installed:

I pulled all of my hubs, replaced the SS wear rings, replaced the seals, replaced bearings/races as needed, greased the bearings, filled the hubs with grease and installed UFP Trailer Buddy bearing protectors. No more leaking oil bath hubs for me!

After completing the job, including 2 hubs with disc brakes, I learned a whole lot about my trailer. Thanks to Dennis from UFP (Dabs) and other info from this forum. Also helps to have a bunch of tools in the garage.

I didn't see anything above that addressed the SS wear rings that are on the UFP spindles where the inner seal rides. This must be addressed when replacing the seals or you will continue to have problems.

Wear ring with 2 grooves from the double lip seal:

Here is one that I removed:

Here is a new one installed:

I pulled all of my hubs, replaced the SS wear rings, replaced the seals, replaced bearings/races as needed, greased the bearings, filled the hubs with grease and installed UFP Trailer Buddy bearing protectors. No more leaking oil bath hubs for me!

After completing the job, including 2 hubs with disc brakes, I learned a whole lot about my trailer. Thanks to Dennis from UFP (Dabs) and other info from this forum. Also helps to have a bunch of tools in the garage.